RE: Shed Of The Week: MG ZT

[Nick Young]

Been a few years since I had one, but I always loved mine. Only the appeal of a ZTT V8 replacement made me change.

Dunno how some of you are driving - I could easily manage 400 miles on a tank in mine - 450 on occasion. And it wasn't quite as slow as some on here seem to make out. Yes it would be outclassed now, but for the time it was pretty good.

[Clivey]

These are seriously underrated cars and not to be judged alongside the rest of the MGR range from that time period. - They're worlds apart from the ancient 25/45. Sure, they have a few issues but what car doesn't? Find one in decent nick, spend a bit on it to bring it up to standard and it'll be a good car in it's own right - no qualification needed.

As others have already mentioned, the ride / handling balance is brilliantly judged and would embarrass most brand new cars, including the "premium" german ones. Find one with leather heated seats and you've got a very comfortable barge on your hands. The only real downside is that the V6s are thirsty; the diesels however are BMW engines and would make for an excellent motorway car. An auto would make for a very relaxing / soothing car to commute in. Of course, many will ignore this because it's got a Rover / MG badge and lacks the "imagine" they crave.

[The Don of Croy]

kambites said:

weez123 said:

The best MG cars of that time ...didnt they do one with a mustang engine?

Yes but you wouldn't get one for shed money.

There is a thread on here someplace where one was for sale (£4.5k ??). Some helpful PH weighed in describing the ProDrive work done to get the V8 ready, (now there's provenance), but with a rider that the immobiliser was in a box controlled by some BMW bit, but that was within a Ford USA box which received the signal and then passed it onto a MG Rover part before giving OK to the german part. Or somesuch. Not something that fills one with hope later down the line when a fault occurs...

Excellent shed.

[hornetrider]

FWDRacer said:

Handsome car. Great colour. Badge snobs and people that ride around in german cars with seized dampers need not apply.

Tyres only grip when they are in contact with tarmac . Ride and handling balance would leave most BMW/Audi drivers claiming witchcraft.

Edited by FWDRacer on Friday 19th December 10:54

[Gandahar]

I'm going to have to say it.

This was Rover past their prime, trying to be like Jaguar. So quad headlights and those unreadable clocks.

Better is the Rover 600 ti turbo which was at least something trying to be honest and quite a Q car to boot. And you could read how fast you were going on the speedo.

[soad]

Clivey said:

These are seriously underrated cars and not to be judged alongside the rest of the MGR range from that time period. - They're worlds apart from the ancient 25/45. Sure, they have a few issues but what car doesn't? Find one in decent nick, spend a bit on it to bring it up to standard and it'll be a good car in it's own right - no qualification needed.

As others have already mentioned, the ride / handling balance is brilliantly judged and would embarrass most brand new cars, including the "premium" german ones. Find one with leather heated seats and you've got a very comfortable barge on your hands. The only real downside is that the V6s are thirsty; the diesels however are BMW engines and would make for an excellent motorway car. An auto would make for a very relaxing / soothing car to commute in. Of course, many will ignore this because it's got a Rover / MG badge and lacks the "imagine" they crave.

In my mind, you said Rover 200/400... "That isn't a Rover. Rovers are just Hondas with restyled front and rear details, aren't they?"

I like this car quite a bit. Style, charisma, looks, safety, performance...

[theJT]

weez123 said:

The best MG cars of that time ...didnt they do one with a mustang engine?

Yep, like this one here:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

Well out of shed territory.

Mind you despite the mustang engine it wasn't exactly what you'd call... fast. For some reason they used the 2 valve 256bhp version of the modular V8, despite the fact that there was a 4 valve version making around 300 used in Lincolns as far back as '95. Perhaps Ford wouldn't sell it to them (or maybe they just couldn't afford it)

[NNH]

I owned one from new. It wasn't the most reliable car I've ever had, but the V6 made a lovely noise and it was great for Continental touring where it drew a crowd of curious locals almost everywhere I stopped (frequently) for petrol.

[Clivey]

soad said:

In my mind, you said Rover 200/400... "That isn't a Rover. Rovers are just Hondas with restyled front and rear details, aren't they?"

I like this car quite a bit. Style, charisma, looks, safety, performance...

My fiancée's mum used to have a 416, then a 25; I had the misfortune of driving the latter once. I never bothered again - one of the worst cars I've ever driven...uncomfortable and the worst build quality I've ever seen in a car.

[Triumph Man]

soad said:

-crookedtail- said:

Geoffcapes said:

Have always liked these. Not sure why.
Maybe it's because they were in GTA London?

The Getaway, what a game

Thought it was a 1999 Rover 75?







"MG Rover's top of the range car. This is sometimes mistaken for a Jaguar, by the less informed. It's a long car, looks sophisticated but despite having a large engine, it offers only a few thrills. The acceleration and top speed are as you'd expect - quite good, but you can usually half-inch a better motor than this."

There was a 'Raver' in Grand Theft Auto: London. Based on the Rover P4...

The 75 was also in the Getaway: Black Monday (with slightly better graphics).

Every so often I quite seriously look at getting a ZT190. A lot of car for the money, and can still look quite smart.

[FWDRacer]

hornetrider said:

FWDRacer said:

Handsome car. Great colour. Badge snobs and people that ride around in german cars with seized dampers need not apply.

Tyres only grip when they are in contact with tarmac . Ride and handling balance would leave most BMW/Audi drivers claiming witchcraft.

Edited by FWDRacer on Friday 19th December 10:54

slow hand

[SWTH]

Nick Young said:

Been a few years since I had one, but I always loved mine. Only the appeal of a ZTT V8 replacement made me change.

Dunno how some of you are driving - I could easily manage 400 miles on a tank in mine - 450 on occasion. And it wasn't quite as slow as some on here seem to make out. Yes it would be outclassed now, but for the time it was pretty good.

Dragging 450 miles out of a tank of fuel in a 190 is quite an achievement. My 375 mile trip consists of 300 miles of M-road, 50 miles of A-road and 25 miles of B-road, and my ZT even when driven as gently as possible always needed more than a tankful to do the job. I do think the V6 needed a six-speed gearbox - at 70 mph its somewhere near 3000rpm, and at a time when nearly all sports saloons were fitted with a six-speed it was a bit of a backwards step by Rover not to fit the ZT with one. Ford's MMT6 would have done the job nicely - bearing in mind Ford were already supplying Rover with the IB5 gearbox for the smaller-engined 25/45 models, and the V8 for the ZT, it isn't too great a leap of imagination to suggest the MMT6 could have been part of the deal.

[weez123]

theJT said:

Yep, like this one here:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

Well out of shed territory.

Mind you despite the mustang engine it wasn't exactly what you'd call... fast. For some reason they used the 2 valve 256bhp version of the modular V8, despite the fact that there was a 4 valve version making around 300 used in Lincolns as far back as '95. Perhaps Ford wouldn't sell it to them (or maybe they just couldn't afford it)

Its amazing how the extra engine size only puts out an extra 60bhp or so !

[carinaman]

monzaxjr said:

You will get fair warning. The usual tell tale squeek from the pump and a lovely puddle of coolant under the car. Changing a waterpump on one is a fair old job and if the pumps away it makes sense to change the belt and tensioner etc. while you are in there as you really don't want to strip one twice.

Thank you for the answer.

[Clivey]

weez123 said:

Its amazing how the extra engine size only puts out an extra 60bhp or so !

Not really. It's a very low-stressed engine and will likely last twice, or three times as long as the highly-strung turbo motors manufacturers are building these days. I've personally been in taxis using the modular V8 that've had over half a million miles on the clock and showing no signs of stopping.

[wildcat45]

My ZT-T 180 V6 was a lively old thing. I had need of a big estate while doing up a house and the estate body could take anything. Scratched my V6 itch too.

She was a very old car with 160K miles and sadly her interior filled with water from blocked drains.

I did get in sorted and she was fine.

Mine was laded with toys, and in a Minogram colour. factory registered with factory service stamps, she had allegedly been built to order for onbuilder "Phoenic Four" The build date (sourced from an owners club) revealed it was ine of the very AST Pre-facelift cars built.

Sadly my wife hated it and it just didn't get the use. The guy who sold it to me wanted it back, so I was glad it was passed on to a good home.

Would I have another? With a good spec (but no leaky sunroof) I reckon I'd be tempted.

Whie no sports car, it had a nice old school British car feel while having lads of modern gadgets. My ZT-T felt very at home in the hills and villages of Galloway, a but mucky, ever so shabby. A nice old money feel to it.

[anonymous-user]

Clivey said:

These are seriously underrated cars and not to be judged alongside the rest of the MGR range from that time period. - They're worlds apart from the ancient 25/45. Sure, they have a few issues but what car doesn't? Find one in decent nick, spend a bit on it to bring it up to standard and it'll be a good car in it's own right - no qualification needed.

As others have already mentioned, the ride / handling balance is brilliantly judged and would embarrass most brand new cars, including the "premium" german ones. Find one with leather heated seats and you've got a very comfortable barge on your hands. The only real downside is that the V6s are thirsty; the diesels however are BMW engines and would make for an excellent motorway car. An auto would make for a very relaxing / soothing car to commute in. Of course, many will ignore this because it's got a Rover / MG badge and lacks the "imagine" they crave.

I had one and did spend the money getting it sorted (belts, etc).

Plus points:
It handled very well for a big FWD car.
Plenty of space with a massive boot.
V6 sounded lovely

Negative points:
It was slow. Even after changing the VIS valves it was still slow (my manifold was checked and working ok).
Mine was a 2004 model and there was evidence of cost cutting all over the car.
The boot leaked badly and from numerous places.
It's a Rover regardless of the MG badge on the front. People will tell you this all the time and you will tire of it eventually.

[Dempsey1971]

I had the ZT-T version a while ago as a long distance commute car. Loved the styling, space and surprising pace, as it could handle the cross country run with aplomb......

...but, it had the smallest footwell of any car I've ever driven. I dont have huge feet (size 11) and my shoes would catch on the edge of the plastic cowling everytime I changed gear, braked or accelerated. Drove me absolutely mad, as only small things like that can over long time spells.

Had to get rid of it it was so distracting.

[WojaWabbit]

Great shed!

A point to note is that 225/45/18s are not cheap - around £150/corner, so a full set of boots can easily cost close to the value of the car.

All other service consumables appear to be relatively low cost.

I purchased my ZT 180 (Auto) at 38k miles, in immaculate condition, for £900. It's now on 55k in 20 months and its been brilliant. Had a burst of the frighteners when, shortly after a service, it overheated. Thankfully this was down to an air lock - the KV6 are quite bad for this, the cooling system needs to be pressure filled, or else follow the Haynes method which takes an age but is do-able at home.

It easily swallows up a mountain bike, roady, snowboards etc. if you fold the seats flat and, as mentioned by many others, the steering, ride and handling are fantastic compared to many equivalent modern cars so it's decent fun and comfortable on the twisty mountain roads..... it's the perfect shed for me!

The only car I'd change it for would be a shed XJR at c£2-3k

[daytona365]

Just goes to show that fashion and 'image' are everything when considering cars.